Siding for boat-hulls.



(L. HENLEY. slome FOR BOAT HuLLs.A

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I8, 1918.

June .4, 1918.

/fvVE/vof? cig/l l Ik) Amm/VH LOUIS HENLEY, 0F ROME, NEW `'OR'K.

srnme ron Boar-Bums.

accenna.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented el' une a, Sigle..

Application led March 18, 1918. Serial No. 223,046.

722 alwhjom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, Louis HENLEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Rome, in the county of Oneida, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Siding for Boat-Hulls, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in siding for boat-hulls, and while it is particularly applicable to barges, dredges and canal boats in general, it may be applied to the larger type of lake and oceangoing vessels, and in other relations where such siding might be useful.

The diiculties in obtaining materials 'heretofore commonly used in the construction of wood or steel hulls are now universally recognized by boat builders, resultling not only in an alarming shortage of boats, but also in excessive delays in the construction of such boats for which material may already have been secured, such delay being largely due to the usual slow and laborious manner of assembling the various parts of the hull. It is also well-known that the market i general is well supplied with what is commonly known as stock materials for both steel and structural wood building, and one of Vthe main objects of my present invention is to utilize these stock materials in the construction of the entire hull including the sides, bottom and deck or decks in such manner that an exceedingly strong and durable hull may be built up progressively from the centerof the bottom. with the expenditure of a vminimum amount of labor, time and expense, thereby avoiding the diiculties and delays incidental to the use of the usual `heavy planking and the more or less complicated framework to which suoli planking is applied.

In other words, I have sought to render the assembled units ofthe siding self-supporting as they are progressively built up so that the assembly will constitute a complete boat without other reinforcements, or at least with a minimum amount of bracing wherever necessary to resist the excessive strains.

Another object is to bring the clamping devices by which the several units of the siding are drawn together at the inside of the'hull where they are more readily available for tightening either below or above the water level line in case any of the joints should leak. l

A further object in using 4stock materials is to permit any one of the units to be readily replaced when impaired without displacmg any of the other units.

A still further object is to allow certain of the Wooden units to project outwardly sllghtly beyond the metal units to serve as buers in protecting the hull against undue injury in case the boat should Contact with the Walls oflocks and other obstructions,

Another object is to provide simple and eiliclent means for connecting the adjacent. ends of registering metal units so that they may be ractically continuous Without liability of eakage at the joint or reduction of strength of that particular unit or any part of the hull.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the assembled and individual units iwill be brought out in the following descripion.

In the drawings-- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional View of a portion lof one side and bottom of a boat showing my improved siding for the hull.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of one of the' metal units showing the means for joining the adjacent ends of its longitudinal sections.

Figs. 3 and 4: are, respectively, a longitudinal sectional view and a transverse sectional view taken on lines 3 3 and 4 4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the detached coupling plate for the sections of one ofthe metal units.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the uncoupled end of one of said sections.

As illustrated, the siding of the hull comprises a vseries of wooden units -1- and metal units -2-. running lengthwise .of the boat in parallelism and secured togetherl edge to edge in alternate relation by clamping[` bolts -3-.

he wooden units l may be made of. yellow pine or other suitable Wood of relatively small cross sectional area, preferably square or substantially rectangular, and of any suitable` lengths obtainable in stock yards.

The metal units -2- preferably consist of stock channel irons ,or beams commonly used in structural iron work for buildings, and preferably of greater width than that of the wooden units 1 so that the clamping bolts 3- may be readily inserted or withdrawn when desired without displacinany of the other units.

hese channel irons are usually arranged with their channels facing the interior of4 the hull so that their flanges may extend transversely across and upon adjacent faces of the wooden units -1-- a sufficient distance to permit the clamping bolts -3- to be passed through registering apertures in the flanges and ad'acent portions of the wooden units for firmly assembling both sets of units in a unitary structure as the work progresses from the center of the bottom outwardly and upwardly to form said bottom and sides, although it is evident that the bottom may be otherwise formed and the sides made up of the assembled units.

When the corners of the hull connecting the bottom and sides are rounding, as shown in Fig. 1, the webs of the channel units -2 may be bent transversely to conform to the curvature, but otherwise the channel irons are substantially fiat except for the inturned flanges, as -2--, running along their lower and upper edges, said channel irons being preferably of uniform Width, while the wooden units -1- are also of u niform cross sectional form and area, and in some instances may be connected across their inner faces by a reinforcing member -4- secured thereto by bolts -5--, Fig. l.

The outer faces of some of the wood units -1-, as for example those adjacent the water line, may protrude slightly beyond the corresponding outer faces of the metal units -2- to form bilers -1- for protecting the metal against contact with the walls of locks and other obstructions which maag7 be encountered by the sides of the hull.

therwise, the outer faces of the wood units may be substantially Hush with the corresponding outer -faces of the metal units to present a smooth, unbroken outer face to the hull.

In the construction of most of the barges and larger boats, it will, ofcourse, be necessary to make the units -2- and -3- in sections and to properly secure them end to end.

The ends of the sections of the wood units may be connected by the usual ship lap or any equivalent means of connection.

n connecting the ends of the sections of the metal units, however, the adjacent ends of the flanges 2 are out away some distance' from the abutting ends of the webs, the cut-away portions being filled in by similar flanges -6- of a connecting plate or coupling -7- of substantially the same width as the distance between the flanges -2- and extended some distance beyond the ends of the ianges--G so as to iit snugly against the inner faces of the webs of t e sections of the unit -2- where they are clamped to said web by bolts -8- having their nuts at the inside of the hull where they are accessible for tightening or for removing or replacing the coupling plates when necessary.-

The coupling member -7 is made from stock channels similar to the channels Q- cut in the manner described so that when applied to the ends of the sections of the Vmetal units, the latter are firmly united to form continuous units.

It is novsT evident that a boat or hull constructed in the manner described may be built up with great rapidity and ease without employing specially skilled labor which, together with the fact that thematerials may be obtained from the stock in almost any stockyard carrying such materials, enables the builder to construct the boats at a greatly reduced cost over previous methods, and at the same time assures the completion of the boats within a definite relatively short time with the assurance that they will be able to carry out their functions with a reduced liability of impairment by excessive strains.

Furthermore if at any time any of the joints should show signs .of leakage, they may be readily tightened from the inside of the boat by simply tightening the bolts -3-, or if necessary the joints between the metal and wood units may be easily calked in the usual manner.

By alternatin the metal and wood units so as to bring t e metal into direct contact with the wood and securing said units together in-the manner described reduces to a minimum the liability of shearing ofthe bolts under the stresses to which a hull of this character might be subjected, since it is well-known that where metal plates or sections are bolted together metal to metal in structures of this character, the tendency to relative movement of the bolted sections is more liable to shear the bolts, and one of the objects of my present invention is to obviate as far as possible this contingency.

It will also be noted that a boat-hull constructed in the manner described is not only light, strong and durable, but that the several units by reason of their portability and ease of handling may be readily shaped to conform to the various curvatures of the bow and stern as well as to the bottom and sides, as previously explained.

What I claim is:

1. Siding for boat-hulls comprising metal Lace,

channel plates and, Wooden bars secured together edge to edge in alternate relation.

2. Siding for boat-hulls comprising metal channel plates and wooden bars secured together edge to edge in alternate relation, said pla-tes havin their channels facing the interior of the hu 1 3. Siding for boat-hulls comprising metal channel plates and Wooden bars arranged edge to edge in alternate relation, and clamping bolts passed through the wooden bars and adjacent flanges of the plates for securing said bars. and plates together.

4. Sidin for boat-hulls comprising metal channel p ates and Wooden bars arranged edge to edge in alternate relation, and means for separately clamping each Wooden bar between the edges of adjacent plates.

5. Siding for boat-hulls comprising metal channel plates and- Wooden bars arranged edge to edge in alternate relation, and means for separately clamping each wooden bar to 'adjacent flanges of the plates.

6. vSiding for boat-hulls comprising metal units in spaced relation one above the other and having inturned flanges along their lower and upper edges, in combination with non-metallic illers between and secured to said flanged edges.

7. Siding for boat-hulls comprising a channel iron composed of sections arranged end to end, the adjacent ends of the anges ttt being cut awayV some distance beyond .the abutting ends of the webs, and a coupling plate bolted t0 the Webs of both sections and provided with flanges lling the cut-away portions of the first-named flanges, the base of the coupling plate being extended some distance beyond the ends of its ilanges.

8. Siding for boat-hulls comprising longitudinally extending metal units and parallel Wood units, said units being arranged edge to edge in alternate relation and secured to each other, the outer face of one of the Wood units projecting beyond the corresponding face of the metal units to form a louder.

9. Siding for boat-hulls comprising longitudinally extending metal units in spaced relation, in combination with interposed non-metallic units secured to the metal units.

10; Siding for boat-hulls comprising longitudinally extending flanged metal units and parallel Wood units, said metal and Wood units being arranged edge to edge in alternate relation, and means for securing said unitsl to each other.

ln Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th da)T of March, 1918.

LUIS HENLEY.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, ALICE M. CANNON. 

